I started building the ‘Kingsman’ brand just 2 months ago. I was working, like usual, at a local coffee shop when this image and idea of ‘Kingsman’ literally hit me like a spark. I immediately went to a blank word document and wrote down every word, every idea and every thought pertaining to this idea. I didn’t care if it made sense at the time, I just kept writing and clearing my mind with these thoughts that kept coming forth.
I then started to see a vision and I didn’t allow myself to think small with this ultimate vision. That’s not to say there were no thoughts of, “How in the hell are you going to do that?” The real vision does scare the shit out of me because it is much larger than I, and will require many others to cultivate this vision and mission. Being a solo-preneur ,this is a challenging fact and hard to really wrap your head around at times. You’re so used to doing everything yourself which many times limits your vision, as you’re only thinking as big as “I”. In other words, you’re limiting your vision to the competencies of yourself vs recruiting and building an all-star team that can carry out a massive, bold and courageous vision and mission. That’s the battle when you’re going at it alone, as a solo-preneur, from the beginning. However, I do know that if I am to make this a reality I will need to break free of that barrier.
What was once simply words, an idea and a vision has turned into the development and beginning of a brand - Kingsman - and the creation of Kingsman Academy with a mission to liberate and empower millennial men to unleash their inner lion, charge fiercely towards their mission with conviction and create a lasting legacy. We are men unwilling to settle for average. We are: "The Modern Badass with Class”……Which has developed into a 55 page Doctrine (The codes, core beliefs, virtues and declarations of a Kingsman); a 6 phase coaching and curriculum designed specifically to enrich and expand the lives of men ages 35 and under in all areas: mind, body, life, style and their legacy; a website with lead magnets; a private Facebook community; a public Facebook community; 3 men currently embarking on the 6 phase coaching program called Kingsman Academy; a formal webinar for the introduction of a Kingsman and the systems in place to generate leads and registrations for the webinar (on auto pilot).
Yesterday, was my first live webinar giving an introduction to the way of a Kingsman and an offer for a select group of men to be a part of an official pilot launch of Kingsman Academy. I set off a Facebook advertisement campaign for this webinar before I even created the actual webinar.
Why?
To put some healthy pressure on myself and create a real deadline. All too often we prepare, to prepare, to prepare. I’ve been there many times. This time I simply said, “Set up a funnel for registration to this webinar, see if there’s interest and if men register you’ll be forced to get your ass in gear and create.” Well, 32 men registered. Once I saw the first registration this forced me to get moving. I spent all day creating the rough outline and was able to finalize an 1hour long webinar, rehearse and deliver, all within 5 days. Had I not started the process before I was ready, I’m fairly certain I would still be working on this webinar, trying to “perfect” it.
Think of how often we do this in our lives?
THE FAILURE?
Now, was this webinar a success? Out of the 32 men registered, 2 showed up, for the live webinar. I’d be lying if I said I was not bummed initially. However, when I saw the first guy log in it was go time. I was going to deliver this webinar as if 1,000 men were listening in. Things were going well until I lost internet connection TWO times! However, the men still stayed. Both of the attendees stayed for the entire 1 hour webinar. Did they take advantage of the pilot program? We will find out in the next 8 hours.
Was this a failure?
Moments before I went live with the first webinar.
Many would say so. I had flashes suggesting to myself that it was, but just as quickly I put things into perspective. Two men, set aside valuable time in their schedules to sit down at the official time and logged in to listen, for 60 minutes, to a guy they have never met and never heard of before. Something in my message directed them to registration which resonated with them enough to say they wanted to learn more. There’s some very specific reason they were on that webinar and suck around for its’ entirety. If I had a positive affect on the lives of just these two men, I see that as a win.
I will take this as a learning experience. I obviously need to tweak my lead-up sequence to ensure more people show up to the live webinar. I obviously need to improve my message within the advertisements to generate more registrations. 500 registrations with a 30% conversion is the goal. Leading to 150 live attendees. If I have just a 10% conversion on the Kingsman Academy program that’s 15 men’s lives that will transform and change on a weekly basis. From there we will scale, but only so far because this model is not for the masses. It’s for a very particular group of men and we will keep this association prestigious and tight.
I am far from where I want to be with this brand and program. However; I am far from where I once started, as well. It was simply an idea, which could have just as easily passed by, had I not grabbed onto this vision and acted immediately, which I have not looked back from.
As many of you know, I write about the life lessons from experiences and provide thought provoking questions or ideals from such experiences.
Here lies the greatest lessons from this recent “fail” experience of mine.
- How many ideas and visions will simply pass you by?
Lets be very clear here. This idea and vision that you continue to have, has come to you for a very particular reason and it’s your obligation to figure out what that is. It may not lead you to the “promise land” or you may even “fail” along the way. In that case, I will guarantee you that the process was the reason and served as the purpose. Maybe it was who you met along the way. Maybe it was the new skill you developed along the way. Maybe it was the new found mindset. Maybe it was the new realization of another idea or ideal. Whatever it is, the reason is there. One day you WILL connect those dots. That idea and vision serves a very particular purpose. As woo-woo as you may think it is, the universe, (God), the Devine, the Tao, whichever you choose for the name, is presenting you with a real opportunity for growth, progress, development and directing you down a very particular path. However, you still have to choose to believe in this and take action. Or, you can think nothing of it, think it’s just another “grand” idea you had and holds no merit because you could never make it a reality. Here’s the reality to that, It takes absolutely no courage to let the vision and idea pass. ZERO. It’s the way of a the timid, the coward. It’s the same man that dies with his dreams, ideas, desires and visions within him. Never to be given the chance to act again. If you can remember that it may not be the destination that serves the purpose, but the process and the journey, you’re more apt to take action on this idea and vision. Believe. Have faith that if anything, what happens along the way will be the very purpose for acting on the idea and vision.
2. How many opportunities or visions have you acted on with massive excitement, took bold and courageous action only to be smacked in the face with a perceived failure or rejection, which greatly diminished your ambition, enthusiasm and action? Times where you said, “Screw it. Nobody cares. Nobody wants this. Nobody feels the way I do about this. I knew it was a dumb idea…….”
I had a flicker of this as the clock hit 7:58, then 7:59, then 8pm sharp. 8pm was the moment my webinar was live. One person had logged on by then. As those 2 minutes passed I had those voices. That part of the ego that likes to reinforce its’ self by letting you know this is a dumb thing to continue and pursue because if you do, you will continue to feel pain, you will continue to weaken it (the ego). This egoic mind is simply doing its’ job, protecting itself. That voice, “I knew that nobody would show. What are you doing Brian. You’re spending all of this time, effort, focus and money….for what? One person to show up?”
It’s so easy to build up the hype, get excited, work your ass off……then finally display some courage to get your message out into the world for judgement day, but how will you respond when you’re punched straight in the face with “disappointment”?
I believe this is the mark of the daring man and the difference between that of a courageous man and that of the average man. Who crumbles with one punch? The coward. Let me be the first to tell you, I wanted to crumble for a moment and say: “Fuck it!” Man, it would have been easy to take the path of a coward. But I immediately chose to put things into perspective by focusing on the gain. Let me explain more about this later on. But first, how many times have you been rejected by the world or those around you or been punched in the gut when you’ve been bold and courageous, and then threw it all away? Where you let this one or maybe two occurrences diminish your vision, your idea and your mission? When all along this was simply a test from the universe to see if this idea and vision really meant something to you. A test thrown at you to determine if YOU, were in fact, the one suited and fit to carry out the mission……
Think about that for a second.
Then think about how many bells have you answered in your life, only to pass it along to those that are fit, ready and willing to get punched straight in the face over and over again for the greater good of the vision and mission?
3. Choosing to focus on the gap from where you are to where you want to go VS choosing to focus on the gain - where you were and where you are now. = self-induced misery, disappointment, frustration and overwhelm.
This is the gain-gap I was speaking of during lesson #2. During a time where I felt a moment of “failure” and disappointed, I consciously chose to direct my focus and attention towards the gain. The gain being where I started (the initial idea) and where I am now (all of the developments, content produced, progress, systems developed, clients gained, design etc..). Seeing and taking notice of the progress and development is encouraging. It gives me a sense of pride, honor and fulfillment. Now, I can just as easily, and often do, focus on the GAP. The gap being, the distance between where I am today, and where I want to be and go (the end result). That gap is massive. I am no where near the end game.
When I choose to focus and direct my attention towards this gap I feel defeated, frustrated, disappointed, and a sense of complete overwhelm. A feeling of, “This is going nowhere, how can I ever get there, there’s so much I don’t know, so much I need to do, and I had TWO people on my webinar!” You can obviously see which thought process will positively impact your life. But how often are you conscious enough to intentionally direct your attention and focus towards the gain in order to improve your mindset and attitude? Again, it’s easier to focus on the gap (where you are and the massive distance to where you want to be and expect to be) because guess what that results in??? The ability to give up.
The ability to throw in the towel. The ability to say, “You know what, this just is not working out. This just is not the thing for me.” As soon as you say those words, all action can stop. You no longer have to push against the resistance, you no longer have to be courageous, you no longer have to expand, you no longer have to be bold and daring. It’s our easy way out.
The moment you begin to feel discouraged, disappointed, a sense of failure and frustration use that as practice. A time and practice to turn inwards and listen to the voice and story you hear within. Notice it, release it and from a conscious state, re-frame your thoughts and your story toone that will positively impact your life. CHOOSE to direct your focus on the GAIN and keep forging towards your mission!
Take the path. Have faith and just go.
I write this article for one purpose. To inspire as many individuals as I can to act on those ideas and visions that just seem to “pop” into your head at times. If it continues to come to you or sits and festers in your mind, you better damn believe it’s there for a very specific reason and purpose. Understand it may not be the destination that serves the purpose. Instead, it may very well be the process, the journey, the people along the way and the progress along the way that becomes the purpose. Trust that the one day, while looking back, you will clearly connect the dots. In fact, you may be able to take a few experience now (that at the time, made no sense) where you can clearly see the purpose and reason for the experience. And when you act on this idea and vision know that you will be punched straight in the face, multiple times. When this happens you will know that you are being tested. This is just a test to see if you are in fact, the one who is fit to carry out this mission. As you pass the initial test and continue to march on, choose to continue to direct your focus and attention towards the GAIN. Choose to see the massive amounts of progress, growth and development you’ve had along the way. Yes, keep your vision big, but never loose sight of where you started.
It’s my wish that having read this post, the next time you’re struck with an idea and vision, or maybe you’ve had one sitting in the back of your mind for month or years, that you will take that bold and courageous action, before you even feel ready or confident to do so. That you take action that forces you to commit to this idea and vision. You take it as your own. You choose to believe it was given to you for a very specific reason. You unleash your inner lion, charge fiercely towards the mission with conviction, and along the way, create a lasting legacy. If not you, do know, that someone else will.
“The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry our their dream.”
Leave your mark in the world!
Brian Larson
Founder of Kingsman
Creator of Kingsman Academy & The Break Free Journey